Northern Michigan Wildcats football
College football team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Northern Michigan Wildcats football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Northern Michigan University located in the U.S. state of Michigan.
| Northern Michigan Wildcats football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1904 | ||
| Athletic director | Rick Comley | ||
| Head coach | Matt Janus 1st season, 0–0 (–) | ||
| Location | Marquette, Michigan | ||
| Stadium | Superior Dome (capacity: 8,000) | ||
| NCAA division | Division II | ||
| Conference | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) | ||
| Colors | Green and gold[1] | ||
| National championships | |||
| Claimed | 1 (1975) | ||
| Conference championships | |||
| 1 (1987) | |||
| Rivalries | Michigan Tech (rivalry) | ||
| Fight song | NMU Fight Song | ||
| Mascot | Wildcat Willy | ||
| Marching band | Wildcat Marching Band (aka: The Pride of the North) | ||
| Website | nmuwildcats.com/football | ||
Championships
National championships
| Year | Association | Division | Head coach | Record | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | NCAA (1) | Division II (1) | Gil Krueger | 13–1 | Western Kentucky | W, 16–14 |
Postseason appearances
NAIA
The Wildcats made two appearances in the NAIA playoffs, with a combined record of 0–1–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Semifinals | Lenoir Rhyne | T, 20–20 |
| 1967 | Semifinals | Fairmont State | L, 7–21 |
NCAA Division II
The Wildcats have made seven appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs, with a combined record of 6–6. They were national champions in 1975.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship |
Boise State Livingston Western Kentucky |
W, 24–21 W, 28–26 W, 16–14 |
| 1976 | Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Delaware Akron |
W, 28–17 L, 26–29 |
| 1977 | Quarterfinals | North Dakota State | L, 6–20 |
| 1980 | Quarterfinals | Santa Clara | L, 26–27 |
| 1981 | Quarterfinals | Elizabeth City State Southwest Texas State |
W, 55–6 L, 0–62 |
| 1982 | Quarterfinals | UC Davis | L, 21–42 |
| 1987 | Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Angelo State Portland State |
W, 23–20 OT L, 7–13 |
Retired numbers
| Inducted | Player | Position | Years With Team | # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 11, 2025 | Steve Mariucci | QB | 1974–1977 | 18 |
| Tom Schwalbach | QB | 1956–1959 | 17 | |
| Curtis W. Marker | OL | 1964–1966 | 75 |
Notable former players
There have been many notable former players for Northern Michigan Wildcats football including 22 NFL Draft Picks List of Northern Michigan Wildcats in the NFL draft. Some of the notable former players are:
